I’ve broken my silence and come back to wish you all a very happy New Year! I know that 2014 will be good for all of us. In celebration of the New Year, I think we should disregard some of the past (namely, the fact that I haven’t posted in two months) and make some plans for the future.

New Year, New Look (the most over used phrase in January)

Over the next couple weeks, expect some renovations on the site, and maybe even a change of URL. The blog needs a fresh start. I’ve been at this for two and a half years now, let’s try something different.

Posting Schedule

I do this every year. I create a posting schedule and after a month or so, it disappears. Oops. I figure most resolutions are like that. But regardless, this year I’ve planned for posts every Sunday (which obviously actually means that I’ll post every other Sunday because weekly would just be crazy). Do you think we can make it through?

This Year In Writing

One of my New Years Resolutions is to dramatically improve my writing before 2015 comes around. Over the course of last year, I’d lost touch with the writer in me. I failed NaNo for the first time since 2010.

I feel crude at my craft, out of practice. I think that I’d forgotten the fact that writing is something I do because I enjoy it. This year is all about falling in love with writing again.

So hopefully, as my writing progresses, this blog will find a little more focus. Which brings me to my next point..

Focus

WHAT HAS EVEN GONE ON IN 2013? My posts were crap, guys. That was awful. This year in blogging is meant to sharpen and define my writing, as well as bring a little bit more structure to this poor blog.

So there we have it. Writerly resolutions.

Finally, I want to thank Liam for being my personal reminder system and sticking with me all year. He’s bugged me and bugged me and bugged me about posting, and sometimes I would, and sometimes I wouldn’t. It’s probably been a frustrating year for him, but he’s stuck it out, and for that I’d like to say thank you.

I love you guys. I know this year will rock everyone’s socks and everything that you want to happen will happen and you’ll fall in love and become president and maybe even rule the world.

I know what you’re thinking. It’s Novemeber!, you’re thinking. I want to do NaNoWriMo but I haven’t the time!, you’re thinking. I’m in debate and DECA and I have a million and one extracurriculars and I spend my weekends doing AP homework I don’t have time to write a novel!, you’re thinking.

(By you, I pretty much mean me, but I mean we can pretend we’re talking about you.)

Well, I have arisen from the dead to prove you wrong!

Times That You Could Be Writing But Are Instead Slacking Off

1. In The Morningtime. Do you really think you need that extra hour of sleep? Why wake up at 6:30 when you can wake up at 5:30 and get in at least 1k before your day even really begins?

2. In Between Classes. Stop pretending that you just have to talk to that cute boy in that 5 minutes of passing time! Get to your class, sit down, and write!

3. Lag Times in Clubs/Rehearsals. Not currently on stage? Not really doing anything productive in your club? Pull out that comp book and churn out those words.

4. In Between Homework Assignments. Because you know you like to take “mini” breaks that last half an hour, anyway.

5. Before Bed. Skip Twitter/texting/whatever and break in a couple hundred words instead.

There it is. Fee’s list of 5 times she can be writing but is instead slacking off. The moral of the story is, let’s all do NaNo together this month, even if some of us fail miserably and only manage 5k.

Obviously, it’s me, Coffee. I’ve entered into a half-raised state in order to explain the details of my death, attain justice, and grant Liam that teddy bear that he so desperately desires.

Firstly, the matter of my death.

‘Twas a cloudy Washington afternoon when I recieved notice that I would soon reach my peril. The signs were adamant; my AP classes’ homework was increasing, debate team had announced that we’d be meeting twice a week, and my DECA conference and first novice debate tournament were approaching at inhuman speeds. This was the afternoon in which I received my death-note in the form of a letter stating that I’d landed a leading role in the school play. Thus, the beginning of the end began (although, I suppose if I had to die, this really was the best way to go).

But lo and behold! Justice still remains unseen! Who is to blame for the murder of poor, innocent Coffee?

Unfortunately, it seems to be Coffee herself who brought about this shameful demise! How will justice be achieved?

I vote we all dance upon Coffee’s AP homework-littered grave.

As for matters of the will, her only prized possession, a teddy bear, has been left to Sir Liam, the Head Phil.

Coffee shall be sorely missed. May her social life rest in peace.

~Feebs

(p.s. In the play, I am Phoebe, so whenever anyone calls out “Phoebe!” I think “Feebee!” and that makes me think of Mells. I love you Mells.)

My best friend made a new blog. It’s called Lastly and Least or something. She’s a bad blogger but she’s a great writer and an okay person. You probably remember her maybe. Go read her blog.

She is the Egypt to my Mesopotamia (although I think I should be Egypt because I look kinda like Cleopatra sometimes maybe I wish).

(Also I am a bit offended that I am Mesopotamia rather than Eygpt because Mesopotamia was way more male-dominated and they had a really grim outlook on afterlife and that was probably because they all had sucky lives.)

(Plus I’m Black so shouldn’t I be Eygpt?)

(Silly Sarah.)

In other news, I wanted to tell you a story.

Once upon a time there was a girl who was taking an upper-level math class. The upper-level math class’ teacher was really bad at explaining things and answering questions. This caused the girl to be really bad at doing the work. The girl ended up spending like an additional 50 million hours every day trying to learn the stuff on her own and now she spends so much time thinking about math that she can’t even begin to think about stuff that she wants to think about. The end.

My dearest, dearest friend Melly is officially an adult, and due to that fact, this post is dedicated to and in appreciation of her.

Things That People Can Do When They Become Adults

Live in your own place, in which you can buy your own food (not gross stuff that your parents buy) and play video games all day without the silent judgement of your mother(s)/father(s)

Throw wild Skype-parties in which you can Skype with friends overseas because if you’re anything like me, dear reader, you have no friends who aren’t met virtually.

Watch weird TV shows/anime for days on end, once again without bearing the silent disapproval of parent-figures

Be bossed around by college professors who can’t even remember your name

Pay bills with money that you have to earn all by yourself

Spend a million hours studying because their moms aren’t around to tell them “You need to take a break, if you keep studying your brain is explode.” (That’s how my mom gets me to stop studying lately, anyway)

Be much more legally responsible and refrain from doing illegal things because you can now be officially tried as an adult

Pay taxes

Stay out until six in the morning doing god-knows-what and not have to explain yourself to anybody

Finally decide what you want to spend the rest of your life doing, (and probably continue to un-make-up your mind and re-make-up your mind until you come across what you actually want)

Cook for yourself, and perhaps finally learn the art of ordering take-out

Lots of bad things

Lots of good things

Lots of stuff

Seems like it’s just a lot of the same stuff we’ve been doing for years, huh?

Seriously, guys, don’t listen to me. I’m just a fifteen year old girl with glasses and big hair who thinks she’s cool because she takes three AP classes. I don’t even think my brain functions properly anymore unless I’m being tested on the lies in my World History textbook.

Considering I gave up junk food in place of blogging, I would constitute last month as a loss. (I did, however, manage to give up all forms of unhealthy food, just not pick up my replacement habit, so kind-of-yay Coffee!)

I hope it’s been a good month for you! It’s been a good month for me. Lots of self-study and stuff.

For those of you who don’t remember: this month is all about not sitting for more than 30 minutes at a time, and I’ve been doing well so far, despite insane amounts of homework from my advanced classes.

Speaking of which, don’t be surprised if I go MIA again for a while because AP World, AP English, Chemistry, and Advanced Algebra II with Trig and Pre-Calc are all on my schedule.

This :-) Workload :-) Might :-) Kill :-) Me :-)

In lighter news, I do have a couple of (read: one) blow-off classes and more library time, so with any luck (and apparently determination on my part because I suck at keeping commitments) I’ll be writing more and you, dear people who still put up with my blog, will be getting a bit more shorts/poetry and less of my ramblings and apologies for not posting! That would rock, wouldn’t it?

OKAY SO. Remember when I told you guys I’m getting all capital-S Spiritually capital-E Enlightened and stuff? Well. I forgot to mention that there’s this amazing blog I read called Zen Habits, and for the course of the next 12 months, he’s going on a Year of Living Without.

Supposedly, it’ll make life a bit more simplistic, and allow you to come to realize what things you actually want/need in your life. Basically, it’s an experiment in minimalism.

I, myself, had decided to take up the challenge – because I do love a challenge.

THE YEAR OF LIVING WITHOUT

August: Junk Food. I’d been planning on getting more in shape before school starts in September, so it’s the perfect time to cut out fatty foods, fast foods, and non-natural sugars. Replacement Habit:fruits, veggies

September: sitting for longer than 30 minutes at a time. This one I totally stole from him. I do love to sit on my butt and scroll through Twitter or read blog posts. With this rule, I’ll be taking 15 minute breaks in which I’ll go do something else before returning to doing nothing. Replacement Habit:yoga, taking walks

October: TV. I spend a lot of time watching Supernatural. A lot a lot. A LOT. Replacement Habit: read more